Scott McLennan

Concert Preview: Sam Grisman Project, with Peter Rowan, Comes to New England

June 9, 2025
Posted in , ,

Along with the legendary Peter Rowan, other multi-generational participants in this leg of the Sam Grisman Project tour are well versed in the bluegrass songbook.

Concert Review: The Boston Pops’ Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration — Challenging Terrain

June 4, 2025
Posted in , , ,

The challenge for the Boston Pops in this program is obvious: combining the structure of orchestral music with the improvisational nature of Garcia’s work. On Tuesday, the pairing of rock band and orchestra proved to be uneven, groovy interludes interlaced with tentative patches.

Rock Album Preview: The Return of Little Feat — A Revival of the Fittest

April 30, 2025
Posted in , , ,

Little Feat is on the cusp of a rebirth – again.

Concert Review: The Brothers — Celebrating the Style and Songbook of the Legendary Allman Brothers Band

April 19, 2025
Posted in , , ,

The best way to honor all of those responsible for the Allman Brothers Band was to play like the Allman Brothers Band: be fierce, not nostalgic; be pleasing, not cloying; be generous, not self-indulgent. And The Brothers pulled it off.

Album Review: “Curiosity for Solo Electric Guitar Ensemble” — Sonic Wonderings

March 31, 2025
Posted in , , ,

Roger Clark Miller’s latest solo electric guitar ensemble album showcases him at his best, blending avant-garde experimentation with familiar guitar rock textures.

Book Review: “Just Beyond the Light” — Essential Heavy-Metal Lit

February 17, 2025
Posted in , , , ,

There are similarities between Randall Blythe’s music and his prose; both acknowledge the inescapable turmoil, darkness, and tragedy that bedevils everyone.

Rock Concert Preview: Chuck Prophet’s “Wake the Dead” — Singing of Mortality

January 26, 2025
Posted in , , , ,

Predictably, Chuck Prophet’s brand of rustic rock ’n’ roll gets a bit of a makeover by the members of the Cumbia band ¿Qiensave? But let me reassure you — this is another gem of a Prophet album.

Rock Album Review: Iggy Pop at the Montreux Jazz Festival — Raw Power, Reanimated

January 24, 2025
Posted in , , ,

Bottom line: “Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival 2023” captures the manic, mercurial energy that transformed the man born James Osterberg into the legend that is Iggy Pop.

Concert Preview: Karina Rykman Is Breaking Loose

December 2, 2024
Posted in , , ,

For the moment, bassist/ singer/songwriter Karina Rykman is pleased to be “riding an insane wave of adrenaline.”

Concert Review: Sturgill Simpson — Nothing If Not Chameleonic

November 25, 2024
Posted in , , ,

In this overstuffed show, Sturgill Simpson presented himself as someone who, after too long away from the stage, was back because he was in love with playing for the sake of playing. 

Recent Posts

Popular Posts

Categories

Archives